* - Weber 26.75" OTG
* - Weber 22.5" Premium cloaked in Crimson
* - Slow 'N Sear
* - Smoke E-Z - 26.75" (The Grain Silo)
* - Lodge Sportsman Grill
* - Weber Rapid Fire Chimney Starter
* - Thermoworks ThermoPop
* - Thermoworks Mk4
* - Thermoworks Dot
* - iGrill2 - 4 probes
* - Favorite Beer - the cold one in my hand (craft beers of all flavors; haven't had a blue yummy in over 6 years) my tastes change with the season so it is difficult to name just a couple. However, I will occasionally have a vanilla porter float in the summer (Empyrean Vanilla Porter w/a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream) as I usually drink stouts & porters in the colder months, pale ales & IPAs in the warmer months. I have to add Not Your Father's Root Beer to beers I use for floats.
* - Booze - I don't really have a favorite, but lean towards single malt Scotch & Irish whiskey
* - Wines - Reds: mainly the heavy stuff mixed in with the occasional pinot noir ( I have yet to meet a malbec I didn't like); Whites: German & Nebraska (hey, I have to support the home team)
* - Favorite Spice outlets - Volcanic Peppers - Bellevue, NE
* - Current butchers: Cure - Ft. Calhoun
I have been pondering this query in my mind for a number of years and have not really been able to come up with an answer in this part of the world, so I will toss it out to the masses of AR. Can you use cottonwood for smoking? They are indigenous to Nebraska (state tree no less) and unfortunately in my 'hood you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. Since most of the BBQ regions use wood that is most abundant in their neck of the woods, can I use cottonwood with any success? Obviously my wild guess is going to be a definite maybe, but it would explain why BBQ isn't as popular in this beef producing state. In any event, I look forward to all your comments.
Thank you and have a great day!
Craig
I've never heard of anyone using cottonwood in a smoker. I've never heard of cottonwood trees either.😎
If it is that abundant I'd try a test cook with it. Get 1 rack of ribs and smoke it using chunks of your cottonwood. Not much to lose when you do that.
Meathead... There's no rules in the kitchen or bedroom. Fire your smoker up and see what happens.ðŸ˜Â
You don't want to hear about them. They are one of the most dirtiest trees I have ever been around. One of these days I will have to do some experimenting and hopefully I don't poison the family.
They are pretty soft wood... and yes they are a messy tree that grows real fast. If you take it to coals you might be ok, but the creosote is nasty when it is smoking... I would not use it.
Half the Homesteads were planted with Cottonwood in the late 1880’s to the 1920's in ND as Tree Claims. They are a short lived fast growing tree, they can reach 2'-3' in diameter and 60'-75' tall. They are cosidered a soft wood if I am not mistaken. I believe it would make pretty rancid smoking wood? Dan
I bet you are right, Dan... usually woods like that do not make good smoking woods... but if you were to build a fire and toss a dutch oven in it, would probably work ok.
We have a lot of cottonwoods down in our river bottom land, along the Minnesota river. They are huge!!! They are actually kinda cool in the spring, the cotton seeds all come out at once and it resembles snow falling in the forest. But I can see how a fella would not want them in his "hood" thought. I wouldn't think they would make a good smoking wood either, being that they are a soft wood. I don't bother cutting them up for fire wood when they go down. We just take the end loader and push them outta the way.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
I would suggest using a couple chunks on your grill and do something cheap like a chicken or chicken pieces. That way if it's no good you're not out much. I did this with ash when I had no idea if it was any good for smoking.
Cottonwoods grow wild in Arizona. Because they are deciduous, they are classified as a hardwood. They are a very soft hardwood. Hopi Indians have traditionally used their roots to carve Kachina dolls. They were also used for wooden caskets.
It doesn't even get used as firewood except for outdoor campfires. Why not?
The most frequent description of what it smells like is cat urine.
Burn some and you'll never let a perfectly good piece of meat get ruined (or urined😡)
Stick to hardwoods that bear fruit or nuts.
Best regards,
Jim
Last edited by jgg85234; September 24, 2015, 12:05 AM.
Reason: Typo
* - Weber 26.75" OTG
* - Weber 22.5" Premium cloaked in Crimson
* - Slow 'N Sear
* - Smoke E-Z - 26.75" (The Grain Silo)
* - Lodge Sportsman Grill
* - Weber Rapid Fire Chimney Starter
* - Thermoworks ThermoPop
* - Thermoworks Mk4
* - Thermoworks Dot
* - iGrill2 - 4 probes
* - Favorite Beer - the cold one in my hand (craft beers of all flavors; haven't had a blue yummy in over 6 years) my tastes change with the season so it is difficult to name just a couple. However, I will occasionally have a vanilla porter float in the summer (Empyrean Vanilla Porter w/a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream) as I usually drink stouts & porters in the colder months, pale ales & IPAs in the warmer months. I have to add Not Your Father's Root Beer to beers I use for floats.
* - Booze - I don't really have a favorite, but lean towards single malt Scotch & Irish whiskey
* - Wines - Reds: mainly the heavy stuff mixed in with the occasional pinot noir ( I have yet to meet a malbec I didn't like); Whites: German & Nebraska (hey, I have to support the home team)
* - Favorite Spice outlets - Volcanic Peppers - Bellevue, NE
* - Current butchers: Cure - Ft. Calhoun
Thank you for all of the input. I pretty much got the answer I was looking for. I will just keep using pieces from the maple in our backyard and toss the neighbors cottonwood back over the fence.
Retired high school teacher and principal
Dr ROK - Rider of Kawasaki &/or rock and roll fan
Yoder 640 on Husker themed comp cart
Cookshack Smokette smoker
Antique refrigerator smoker
Weber 22 1/2" kettle w/ GrillGrates AND Slow and Sear
Rec Tec Mini Portable Tailgater w/ GrillGrates
Plenty of GrillGrates
Uuni wood pellet oven, first generation
Roccbox Pizza Oven
Meater Block
"Go Big Red" Thermopen instant read thermometer
Ultrafast instant read thermometer
CDN quick read thermometer
Maverick ET-732 thermometer
Maverick ET-735 thermometer
Tru-Temp wireless thermometer
Infrared thermometer (Mainly use for pizza on the Uuni and Roccbox)
Beverages - Is there really anything other than Guinness? Oh yeah, I forgot about tequila!
As a fellow Nebraskan, I can speak to using cottonwood for campfires. We use it all the time. We've grilled over it and it works fine, you just want it pretty much burned down to coals. Not sure I'd use it for smoking though. I personally like the smell of a cottonwood campfire. We've never had any that smelled like cat urine????????? Maybe that person was burning green cottonwood?????
* - Weber 26.75" OTG
* - Weber 22.5" Premium cloaked in Crimson
* - Slow 'N Sear
* - Smoke E-Z - 26.75" (The Grain Silo)
* - Lodge Sportsman Grill
* - Weber Rapid Fire Chimney Starter
* - Thermoworks ThermoPop
* - Thermoworks Mk4
* - Thermoworks Dot
* - iGrill2 - 4 probes
* - Favorite Beer - the cold one in my hand (craft beers of all flavors; haven't had a blue yummy in over 6 years) my tastes change with the season so it is difficult to name just a couple. However, I will occasionally have a vanilla porter float in the summer (Empyrean Vanilla Porter w/a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream) as I usually drink stouts & porters in the colder months, pale ales & IPAs in the warmer months. I have to add Not Your Father's Root Beer to beers I use for floats.
* - Booze - I don't really have a favorite, but lean towards single malt Scotch & Irish whiskey
* - Wines - Reds: mainly the heavy stuff mixed in with the occasional pinot noir ( I have yet to meet a malbec I didn't like); Whites: German & Nebraska (hey, I have to support the home team)
* - Favorite Spice outlets - Volcanic Peppers - Bellevue, NE
* - Current butchers: Cure - Ft. Calhoun
I didn't understand the cat urine description either. Cottonwood is definitely a major staple for bonfires/campfires in this area, especially along the Platte. I guess it is a better option than the buffalo chips the pioneers used.
Comment